The TER-BARB Winter Trip To Florida

The Travels of The Ter-Barb 2007

Part One Posted on 11/13/2007 (see bottom of page for updates)

Hello to all!!

Well, we finally got underway after a haul out for a bent prop on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. Thanks to Harbor Lights Y.C., aka Butch & Barbara Gricco for their help and support with this problem. We ran from Harbor Lights to Tolchester Marina on a flat as a frozen lake in one day. For us this is a long day. On Wednesday, we had hoped to make Solomon's, but ducked into Herrington Harbor South due to small craft warning coming into Chesapeake Bay at 1 pm. On Thursday, we made it to the Solomon's where we had to stay for the next two days due to wind on the Bay. We met a nice couple from New York. He is now retired but was a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute in New York. Bob and I along with two other people were treated to a wonderful dinner on their boat.

On Sunday, Nov 4, several of us departed the Solomon's heading for Deltaville. This means that we cross the Potomac River today. Oh joy!!! Again, this is one of my least favorite days on the entire trip. The Potomac lived up to my imagination. It is like being in a washing machine. The current can’t make up its mind which way it wants to go, so we are all over the place. Not as bad as last time, but still not a pleasant ride.

On Nov. 5 we headed to Portsmouth. The Bay is calm and it is a beautiful, flat ride. We are staying at Ocean Marine and everyone is very nice. We decide we need a day of rest, so we lay over a day and tour Norfolk – to the mall and walking around. We take the ferry from Portsmouth over to Norfolk. We walked around Portsmouth also and found all kinds of interesting buildings, plus there are quite a few older churches close to the harbor and they all have traditional steeples. They are beautiful. Since we are leaving tomorrow and our friends from NY are staying here for the winter, we say our goodbyes.

On Nov. 7 we head to Coinjock Marina in the Virginia/Chesapeake Canal. There are numerous bridges that need to be opened, plus Great Bridge lock. We are cruising with quite a few boats and an ICW cruise boat. This cruise boat turns out to be a royal pain in the @@@XXXX. He is going 5-6 mph, and taking up the middle of a narrow channel. When other cruisers try to pass him, including us, it seems like when you get along side of him, he speeds up. Because the channel is so narrow it takes us almost an hour to locate a spot along the route to pass him. Dinner at Coinjock Marina was excellent – including the leftovers.

Nov. 8. Off again, we are headed to Dowry Creek, which means crossing Albermarle Sound. It is a little choppy, but we have winds out of the North and a following sea. Bob kicks it up and we are across the 14.2 mile stretch in an hour. I know, you didn’t think Ter-Barb could go that fast. The rest of the trip during our 8 ½ hour day is really pleasant. We go down the Alligator River and into the Alligator Pungo Canal and into the River.

Nov 9. We are heading further South as we try to find warm weather. We cross Pamlico Sound and into the enclosed area of Goose Creek and across and up Bay River and then into the Neuse River. If you remember, we had a extremely rough trip crossing the Neuse River when we were heading North on our last trip. However, today it is a little choppy as we head east for about ½ hour, but as we turn southwest it calms down. Today’s ride is 5 hours and it makes for a nice relaxing ride.

SUMMARY

The weather has been chilly to cold. Some days we are in insolated sweatshirt jackets and/or our winter coats. But with the enclosed bridge, and if the sun is shining, it get quite warm in the enclosure and we are riding in shirt sleeves. It would have been nice if the winds were 5-10 mph instead of 15-20 mph. NOAA predicts 10-15, but in most cases just add an additional 5 mph to whatever they forecast and you will be on the safe side.

Marina prices are on the average a little higher than our last trip, but that is to be expected. Fuel prices, the same as gas prices for your car, have increased about fifty cents a gallon.

We are well and happy, just looking for warmer weather. We should be in Myrtle Beach by the end of the week.

  Head Back